Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special

This is a list of the winners of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special.

Chronology of categories

Over the years, the scope of this award has evolved and the name with which it has been presented reflects those changes.

• 1975: Director of the Year – Special
• 1976: Outstanding Directing in a Special Program – Drama or Comedy
• 1977: Outstanding Directing in a Special Program
• 1978–1979: Outstanding Directing in a Special Program 19 Drama or Comedy
• 1980–1986: Outstanding Directing in a Limited Series or Special
• 1987–1992: Outstanding Directing in a Miniseries or Special
• 1993–1996: Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or Special
• 1997–1998: Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Special
• 1999–2000: Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie
• 2001–2002: Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special
• 2003–present: Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special

Award winners

1970s

• 1976: Daniel Petrie – Eleanor and Franklin
• 1977: Daniel Petrie – Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years
• 1978: David Lowell Rich – The Defection of Simas Kudirka
• 1979: David Greene – Friendly Fire

1980s

1980: Marvin J. Chomsky – Attica John Erman – Moviola William A. Graham – Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones Delbert Mann – All Quiet on the Western Front Joseph Sargent – Amber Waves 1981: James Goldstone – Kent State Jerry London – Shogun Paul Newman – The Shadow Box Boris Sagal – Masada Roger Young – Bitter Harvest 1982: Marvin J. Chomsky – Inside the Third Reich Michael Lindsay-Hogg and Charles Sturridge – Brideshead Revisited Lee Philips – Mae West Herbert Wise – Skokie 1983: John Erman – Who Will Love My Children? Dan Curtis – The Winds of War Daryl Duke – The Thorn Birds Simon Langton – Smiley’s People Edward Zwick – Special Bulletin 1984: Jeff Bleckner – Concealed Enemies John Erman – A Streetcar Named Desire Randa Haines – Something About Amelia Lamont Johnson – Ernie Kovacs: Between the Laughter Nicholas Meyer – The Day After

1985: Lamont Johnson – Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story Jeff Bleckner – Do You Remember Love? Gilbert Cates – Consenting Adult David Greene – Fatal Vision Robert Greenwald – The Burning Bed Christopher Morahan – The Jewel in the Crown 1986: Joseph Sargent – Love is Never Silent John Erman – An Early Frost John Korty – Resting Place Daniel Petrie – The Execution of Raymond Graham Volker Schlöndorff – Death of a Salesman 1987: Glenn Jordan – Promise Paul Bogart – Nutcracker: Money, Madness, and Murder Jack Gold – Escape from Sobibor Lamont Johnson – Unnatural Causes Peter Werner – LBJ: The Early Years 1988: Lamont Johnson – Lincoln Marvin J. Chomsky – Billionaire Boys Club John Erman – The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank Glenn Jordan – Echoes in the Darkness Paul Wendkos – The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story 1989: Simon Wincer – Lonesome Dove Dan Curtis – War and Remembrance Larry Elikann – I Know My First Name is Steven Gregory Hoblit – Roe vs. Wade Daniel Petrie – My Name is Bill W.

1990s

1990: Joseph Sargent – Caroline? Gilbert Cates – Do You Know the Muffin Man? Stephen Gyllenhaal – A Killing in a Small Town Lamont Johnson – The Kennedys of Massachusetts Richard Pearce – The Final Days 1991: Brian Gibson – The Josephine Baker Story Gilbert Cates – Absolute Strangers Glenn Jordan – Sarah, Plain, and Tall Robert Markowitz – Decoration Day 1992: Joseph Sargent – Miss Rose White Paul Bogart – Broadway Bound Joshua Brand – I'll Fly Away (“Pilot”) Lamont Johnson – Crash Landing: The Rescue of Flight 232 Ron Lagomarsino – Homefront (“Pilot”) Daniel Petrie – Mark Twain and Me 1993: James Sadwith – Sinatra Glenn Jordan – Barbarians at the Gate Daniel Petrie – A Town Torn Apart Frank Pierson – Citizen Cohn Michael Ritchie – The Positively True Adventures... 1994: John Frankenheimer – Against the Wall Emile Ardolino – Gypsy Glenn Jordan – To Dance with the White Dog Roger Spottiswoode – And the Band Played On Betty Thomas – My Breast

1995: John Frankenheimer – The Burning Season Jeff Bleckner – Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story Chris Gerolmo – Citizen X Mick Jackson – Indictment: The McMartin Trial Lloyd Richards – The Piano Lesson 1996: John Frankenheimer – Andersonville Paul Bogart – The Heidi Chronicles Charles Sturridge – Gulliver’s Travels Betty Thomas – The Late Shift Peter Werner – Almost Golden: The Jessica Savitch Story 1997: Andrei Konchalovsky – The Odyssey Robert Harmon – Gotti Anjelica Huston – Bastard Out of Carolina Christopher Reeve – In the Gloaming Mark Rydell – Crime of the Century 1998: John Frankenheimer – George Wallace Steve Barron – Merlin William Friedkin – 12 Angry Men Tom Hanks – From the Earth to the Moon (“Can We Do This?”) John Herzfeld – Don King: Only in America 1999: Allan Arkush – The Temptations Jane Anderson – The Baby Dance Kathy Bates – Dash and Lilly Christian Duguay – Joan of Arc Joseph Sargent – A Lesson Before Dying

2000s

2000: Charles S. Dutton – The Corner Martha Coolidge – Introducing Dorothy Dandridge Stephen Frears and Martin Pasetta – Fail Safe Rob Marshall – Annie Benjamin Ross – RKO 281 2001: Mike Nichols – Wit Robert Allan Ackerman – Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows Billy Crystal – 61* Robert Dornhelm – Anne Frank Frank Pierson – Conspiracy 2002: David Frankel, Tom Hanks, David Leland, Richard Loncraine, David Nutter, Phil Alden Robinson, Mikael Salomon, and Tony To – Band of Brothers John Frankenheimer – Path to War Moisés Kaufman – The Laramie Project Richard Loncraine – The Gathering Storm Mark Rydell – James Dean 2003: Steven Schachter – Door to Door Robert Allan Ackerman – The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone Mick Jackson – Live from Baghdad Richard Loncraine – My House in Umbria Frank Pierson – Soldier’s Girl 2004: Mike Nichols – Angels in America Robert Harmon – Ike: Countdown to D-Day Tom Hooper – Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness Andrei Konchalovsky – The Lion in Winter Joseph Sargent – Something the Lord Made

2005: Stephen Hopkins – The Life and Death of Peter Sellers Joseph Sargent – Warm Springs Fred Schepisi – Empire Falls George C. Wolfe – Lackawanna Blues 2006: Tom Hooper – Elizabeth I Justin Chadwick – Bleak House Peter Markle – Flight 93 Phyllis Nagy – Mrs. Harris Kenny Ortega – High School Musical David Yates – The Girl in the Café 2007: Philip Martin – Prime Suspect: The Final Act Walter Hill – Broken Trail Bharat Nalluri – Tsunami: The Aftermath Yves Simoneau – Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Susanna White – Jane Eyre 2008: Jay Roach – Recount Bob Balaban – Bernard and Doris Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant – Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale Tom Hooper – John Adams Mikael Salomon – The Company 2009: Dearbhla Walsh – Little Dorrit Ross Katz – Taking Chance Philip Martin – Wallander: One Step Behind Thaddeus O’Sullivan – Into the Storm Michael Sucsy – Grey Gardens Susanna White – Generation Kill (“Bomb in the Garden”)

2010s

Year	Program	Director	Network
2009–2010 (62nd)
	Temple Grandin	Mick Jackson	HBO
	Georgia O’Keeffe	Bob Balaban	Lifetime
	The Pacific “Iwo Jima”	David Nutter and Jeremy Podeswa	HBO
	The Pacific “Okinawa”	Tim Van Patten
	You Don’t Know Jack	Barry Levinson
2010–2011 (63rd)
	Downton Abbey “Episode One”	Brian Percival	PBS
	Carlos	Olivier Assayas	Sundance Channel
	Cinema Verite	Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini	HBO
	Mildred Pierce	Todd Haynes
	Too Big to Fail	Curtis Hanson
2011–2012 (64th)
	Game Change	Jay Roach	HBO
	Hatfields & McCoys	Kevin Reynolds	History
	Hemingway & Gellhorn	Philip Kaufman	HBO
	Luther	Sam Miller	PBS
	Sherlock “A Scandal in Belgravia”	Paul McGuigan
2012–2013 (65th)
	Behind the Candelabra	Steven Soderbergh	HBO
	The Girl	Julian Jarrold	HBO
	Phil Spector	David Mamet
	Ring of Fire	Allison Anders	Lifetime
	Top of the Lake “Part 5”	Jane Campion and Garth Davis	Sundance Channel
2013–2014 (66th)
	Fargo “Buridan’s Ass”	Colin Bucksey	FX
	American Horror Story: Coven “Bitchcraft”	Alfonso Gomez-Rejon	FX
	Fargo “The Crocodile’s Dilemma”	Adam Bernstein
	Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight	Stephen Frears	HBO
	The Normal Heart	Ryan Murphy
	Sherlock “His Last Vow”	Nick Hurran	PBS
2014–2015 (67th)
	Olive Kitteridge	Lisa Cholodenko	HBO
	American Horror Story: Freak Show “Monsters Among Us”	Ryan Murphy	FX
	Bessie	Dee Rees	HBO
	The Honourable Woman	Hugo Blick	SundanceTV
	Houdini	Uli Edel	History
	The Missing	Tom Shankland	Starz
	Wolf Hall	Peter Kosminsky	PBS